Workers’ Rights Board Hearing: Exploitation of Immigrant Carpenters

Immigrant wood framers have been victims of rampant wage theft and exploitation in the midst of Portland’s construction boom. Over the past five years BOLI has received 148 prevailing-wage complaints and claims worth $1.12 million in Multnomah County alone. But workers are fighting back. They are organizing and demanding a raise to $27/hr on the principle that everyone deserves equal pay for equal work.

At the hearing we will hear testimony from:

Local construction workers about why they organizing, current treatment and exploitation by contractors, and why they believe equity policies within the construction industry are so important,

Wage theft experts who can place the rampant exploitation in the Portland-area within a broader context, and

Labor leaders on the importance of Community Benefits Agreements as a part of the solution to the problem.

At Portland Jobs with Justice, we truly believe that an injury to one is an injury to all, and that showing up in solidarity and supporting each other’s struggles is vital to building a successful labor movement. In that spirit, we hope that you will be able to attend this important hearing!

Free food, Spanish interpretation, and childcare will be available at the hearing. Email justin@jwjpdx.org if you will need translation or childcare

Portland Jobs with Justice is a coalition of labor organizations and community groups dedicated to protecting the rights of working people and supporting community struggles to build a more just society. JwJ mobilizes support for labor and community struggles at rallies, on picket lines, in educational settings and at meetings and hearings.